About
Welcome to Hidden Treasures, a gateway to British archives with collections that explore the rich history of Jewish life in the UK and the Isle of Man, and the contribution of Jews to all regions and aspects of British life.
Jews have lived in the UK at least since the Norman Conquest of 1066, when William I brought Jews from Rouen over with him to England. But Anglo-Jewish history can be difficult to uncover and presents challenges: for example, language and ritual.
Our network provides support to archives and libraries who would like to know more about their Jewish collections and make connections with their local Jewish communities. We offer features such as ‘Ask the expert,’ information on how to translate, catalogue and understand your Jewish material, information about Jewish traditions and faith, plus other tips, ideas and blog posts featuring Jewish treasures from featured archives.
This site holds a vast range of material from over 60 archives, each offering a unique glimpse into the dynamic and ever-changing narrative of British Jewry. Discover and connect with the stories, artefacts and records that have shaped this rich heritage. Be inspired to visit to find out more.
Showcased here are a great range of items from esteemed national institutions, regional records offices, specialist libraries, grassroots initiatives, community and private collections. The digital treasure trove of material here includes handwritten correspondences, evocative ephemera, personal chronicles, ancient manuscripts, Judaica, oral testimony, community records, maps, images and much more besides.
Explore the ever-evolving narrative of Jewish life in Britain through our featured highlights which range from historic artefacts such as Menasseh ben Israel’s petition to Oliver Cromwell in 1655, which led to the readmission of Jews to the UK to treasured photographic collections such as The Brady Club’s community archive that shares the story of Jewish youth.
Originally launched in 2020 as a project of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Hidden Treasures is now managed by the Rothschild Foundation Hanadiv Europe If you are an institution, organisation or community group with collections that relate to the history of Jews in Britain, please get in touch.
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The following archives are already a part of the Hidden Treasures network:
•A• AJR Refugee Voices •B• Ben Uri Archive • BFI National Archive • Birmingham Hebrew Congregation Collections • Brady Photographic Archive • Brent Museum and Archive • British Library’s Hebrew Collection •C• Cairo Genizah Collection • Camden Local Studies and Archives •D• Dorset County Archive •G• Gathering the Voices • German-Jewish Archives at The Keep, University of Sussex •H• Hackney Archives • Hesped.org • Holocaust Centre North (Huddersfield) • Hull History Centre •I• Imperial War Museum •J• Jewish Chronicle Archive • Jewish Communities & Records – United Kingdom • Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain • Jewish Gilroes • Jewish History Association of South Wales • Jewish Military Museum • Jewish Museum, London • John Rylands Library at The University of Manchester • Jewish Music Institute Archive •L• Lambeth Palace Library • Leeds Jewish Archive • Leo Baeck College Library • Liberal Judaism Archive • Lily’s Legacy Project • London School of Jewish Studies •M• Manchester City Archives • Manchester Grammar School Archive • Manchester Jewish Museum • Manx National Heritage Library & Archives • Memory Map of the Jewish East End • Merseyside Jewish Community Archive •N• National Register of Memorial Boards • Northern Ireland Jewish Heritage •P• Parliamentary Archives • Plymouth Archives at The Box •Q• Queen’s University Belfast, Special Collections & Archive •R• Rainbow Jews • Redbridge Museum & Heritage Centre • Remembering the Jews of WW2 •S• Sandys Row Archive • Scottish Jewish Archives Centre • Sephardi Voices UK • Sheffield City Archives & Local Study Library • Sir Nicholas Winton Archive • Southampton Anglo-Jewish Archives • St Albans Masorti Synagogue Roots • Surrey History Centre •T• Tales of Jewish Sudan • Tate Archive • The London Archives • The National Archives • The Salomons Museum • The Rothschild Archive • The Waddesdon Archive at Windmill Hill • Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives • Tyne & Wear Archives •U• UCL Special Collections • University of Leeds Special Collections •W• We Were There Too • West Yorkshire Archive Service • Wiener Holocaust Library • World Jewish Relief Archives • World ORT Archive •